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So how does 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh feel now that the lockout is broken and the start of training camp begins in a mere 72 hours? “Yeah, I’m nervous; I’m worried. It’s part of my job to be that way,” Harbaugh admitted Monday, solidifying his reputation as a detail-orientated coach concerned about every aspect of […]
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It’s over. Players and owners have agreed on a new CBA. It means the 49ers could open training camp on time, meaning Thursday. The club will have a few days to negotiate with their own free agents and undrafted and drafted rookies. Full free agency will commence on Friday. Additionally, the team will have a […]
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The NFL owners and players have come to an agreement, ending a four-month lockout. Here’s what 49ers President and CEO Jed York has to say to the faithful: Dear 49ers Fans, It brings me great pleasure to inform you that today a new Collective Bargaining Agreement was reached between the National Football League and the […]
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By the end of the week, 49ers players working out at San Jose State seemed irritated and annoyed by the continued lockout. The players seemed to know very little about the parameters of the new deal owners ratified on Thursday, even quarterback Alex Smith, who seems to keep abreast on everything and has the intellect […]
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Kevin Mawae, the NFLPA president, sent out a statement saying the players were still reviewing the agreement from the owners and that there would be no other announcement today out of respect for Myra Kraft, the wife of Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Myra Kraft died of cancer Wednesday at the age of 68. Funeral services […]
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The wrangling between players and owners continued Thursday with the owners ratifying an agreement by a vote of 31-0, with the Raiders abstaining. Al Davis’s reputation as a maverick is firmly in place. The players held a two-hour conference call and they decided there was nothing to vote on. The players maintain that they did […]
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Unless the Niners are doing some serious bluffing, it appears safe to kiss those Nnamdi Asomugha dreams bye-bye. And don’t waste your time imagining Sidney Rice in red and gold, either. At the NFL 101 fan event in Los Angeles on Monday night, San Francisco president and CEO Jed York, echoing last week’s comments from […]
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So what’s the best case scenario for the 49ers as the lockout appears headed for a close? To get the deal done as quickly as possible. If players vote to drop their anti-trust lawsuit and re-certify their union by Wednesday, the owners could ratify the agreement by the weekend. It means the lockout could end […]
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UPDATE: Here’s the newspaper story. Brittney Blue said her father began having dementia-related hallucinations in the mid-90s. Forrest Blue passed away Saturday at an assisted-living facility in Carmichael, where he’d spent the past 22 months. Former 49ers center Forrest Blue, a first-round pick in the 1968 NFL draft who was a four-time Pro Bowl selection, […]
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Rookie free agents and street free agents are stuck in suspended animation as the laborious labor talks continue between the players’ union and the owners. We’ve heard what happens to rookie free agents – they must wait until the end of the lockout for their fates to be determined. Street free agents are in a […]
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This and that to kick off the lockout’s last week. We think: – Straight from the fun-fact department: The 49ers are the only team with a first-year NFL head coach and a first-year NFL offensive coordinator. It should be noted that the Cowboys’ Jason Garrett and Browns’ Pat Shurmur, both entering their first season as […]
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Brian Jennings has typically dedicated part of his offseason to educating himself. In past years, the 49ers’ long snapper and longest-tenured player has attended the NFL’s Business Management and Entrepreneurial programs at Harvard and Stanford. He’s become a certified yoga instructor. And he’s taken college classes ranging from science to statistics with plans on becoming […]
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Frank Gore’s hip is reportedly healthy. And so is his outlook as he anticipates a season free of we’re-going-to-play-smashmouth-try-to-stop-it offensive football. In this interview with SI.com, the Niners’ running back expressed confidence in Jim Harbaugh’s ability to make opposing defenses respect the pass and, in turn, divert some of their attention from Gore, whose 4.2 […]
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49ers general manager Trent Baalke told Tim Kawakami that he didn’t think the 49ers would be active when free agency dawns. Should the lockout talks continue, the word is the team would have three days to sign their own free agents before the market opens. July 28 is one date mentioned for the start of […]
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One of the major issues during this week’s NFL labor negotiations is a non-issue for one player whose bank account will be affected. Niners rookie linebacker Aldon Smith, the No. 7 overall pick in the NFL draft, said he’s not worried about the implications of a rookie wage scale. ESPN reported today that the NFL’s […]
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Due to an elaborate game of phone tag, I didn’t speak with Central Florida defensive line coach Jim Panagos before this story ran this week on his longtime pupil, 49ers rookie Bruce Miller. But after finally connecting with Panagos today, I thought his insights were worth passing along. (And, no, I’m not on Bruce Miller’s […]
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Niners free-agent defensive end Ray McDonald ranked second on the team last year in quarterback pressures and finished third in quarterback hits. Sacks? That’s a sore subject for McDonald, whose teammates still tease him about the sea of signal-callers that got away. For all his time spent in opposing backfields in 2010, McDonald didn’t register […]
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Colin Kaepernick said Tuesday that he was cleared last week by his doctor to engage in all football activities including sprinting and jumping. “It feels great,” Kaepernick said before lifting weights at San Jose State. Kaepernick, the 49ers’ second round pick from Nevada, underwent lower leg surgery in May. He went through most of the […]
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If the 49ers’ receivers were a family, they’d fall nicely into the “functional” category. Certainly, Michael Crabtree’s sometimes strange behavior and comments can give one pause, but the rest of the group comes off as earnest, hard-working and yes, normal. This despite being thrust into an awkward circumstance during the lockout. Not only are the […]
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Niners wide receiver Kyle Williams didn’t have a chance to celebrate the lone highlight of his rookie season. Last year, in the 49ers’ first preseason game, the shifty Williams returned his first punt 36 yards and … tore a toe ligament in the process. He was sidelined for eight weeks, returned for two games, broke […]
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The 49ers have offensive playbooks, but that doesn’t give them the whole story. Alex Smith acknowledged Friday that he can give his teammates an introductory class on the Niners’ West Coast offense, but the graduate-level work will have to wait until training camp. So what’s missing? Smith said the playbook provides them with terminology, formations […]
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I want to welcome Eric Branch with open arms. His writing and interviewing skills are familiar with many of you who followed his 49ers coverage at the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. We will hopefully provide a unique and thorough one-two punch for the blog. Does Roger Goodell have players’ welfare in mind? In contrast to […]
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